Halos and Avatars : Playing Video Games with God

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Craig Detweiler's collection of up-to-the-minute essays on video games' theological themes (and yes, they do exist) is an engaging and provocative book for gamers, parents, pastors, media scholars, and theologians--virtually anyone who has dared to consider the ramifications of modern society's obsession with video games and online media.Top contributors address timely topics such as video games as the new storytelling medium; the theological implications of violent or apocalyptic video games like Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto IV, and Resident Evil; the impact of avatars, "second lives," and social networks on our spiritual lives; the competitive aspects of gaming and the nature of play in Madden NFL and Guitar Hero; the active future of gaming (and faith) accompanying the Wii; medical ethics and theology in controversial games such as BioShock; and the rise of Islamogaming, analyzing how games can function as tools of identity formation and social protest for minority religions. Additional material includes interviews with current game designers, including Rand Miller, cocreator of Myst and Riven, and a helpful chapter from the Fuller Youth Institute on how parents and pastors can effectively talk to teens about gaming.

Craig Detweiler directs the Center for Entertainment, Media and Culture at Pepperdine University. He is the author of Into the Dark: Seeing the Sacred in the Top Films of the 21st Century and coauthor of A Matrix of Meanings: Finding God in Pop Culture. He blogs at www.purplestateofmind.com.

Introduction: Halos and Avatars

p. 1

Playing Games with God

From Tekken to Kill Bill: The Future of Narrative Storytelling?

p. 19

Ultima IV: Simulating the Religious Quest

p. 34

The Play Is the Thing: Interactivity from Bible Fights to Passions of the Christ

p. 47

Islamogaming: Digital Dignity via Alternative Storytellers

p. 63

Wii Are Inspirited: The Transformation of Home Video Consoles (and Us)

p. 75

Halos

Myst and Halo: A Conversation with Rand Miller and Marty O'Donnell

p. 91

Madden Rules: Sports and the Future of Competitive Video Games

p. 108

Poets, Posers, and Guitar Heroes: Virtual Art for a Virtual Age

p. 121

Bio Shock to the System: Smart Choices in Video Games

p. 135

Avatars

'Til Disconnection Do We Part: The Initiation and Wedding Rite in Second Life